New Moon Chapter 3 Summary

How It All Goes Down

The End

Edward tells Bella that Alice has gone away with Jasper. Bella feels guilty for running Alice and Jasper out of their own home.

As she comes home from working at Olympic Outfitters (to pay for college, despite Edward’s insistent desire to pay for it), Bella finds Edward waiting at her house. He’s completely unresponsive to her, though, and she realizes that some type of change looms on the horizon.

Several days pass with no change in Edward’s behavior, so Bella decides to have a serious talk with him. Edward beats her to it. He asks her to go for a walk in the woods with her.

In the woods, Edward tells Bella that he and his family are leaving – without her. "I’m no good for you, Bella," he says. "My world is not for you" (3.159, 161).

When Bella protests, saying she doesn’t care about her soul or being damned and all the rest of it, he says:

"Bella, I don’t want you to come with me."

"You don’t want me?"

"No." (3.170-173)

While Bella struggles to grasp his words, Edward’s face is "wiped clean of all emotion" (3.180).

He promises to disappear as if he’d never existed, and adds, "Don’t worry, you’re human – your memory is no more than a sieve. Time heals all wounds for humans" (3.195).

He bids her good-bye and leaves her alone in the forest.

Bella is shell-shocked. She stumbles blindly through the forest. As night falls, she notices that the sky it utterly black – a new moon. Title alert!

Sam Uley, a young man from the La Push Indian reservation, finds Bella and carries her home. He’s part of a search party put together by Charlie and his old friend Billy.

In half-sleep, Bella overhears Charlie saying that there are bonfires at La Push, celebrating some kind of event. We gather that the Quileute are happy about the departure of the Cullens.

Bella descends into unconsciousness:

The waves of pain […] washing over my head, pulling me under. I did not resurface. (3.330-331)